Why Are My Muscles Not Growing? 5 Top Reasons Why Your Muscles Are Not Growing

Many guys when they first start working out tend to overtrain. After a month or two this question always comes up... "Why Are My Muscles Not Growing ?"

It's Monday morning and you just walked into the gym. Up first is chest. You load up the barbell and you lay down on the bench. You begin performing repetition after repetition of chest presses until you cannot do anymore.

You look at yourself in the mirror and realize that your chest is not growing at all. In fact, your body is not responding the way you would like to your workout program. This probably happened even though you believe you were doing everything correctly. You're pushing yourself in every workout -- you don't miss any workouts and still no results!

What's wrong you ask yourself.

5 Top Reasons Why Your Muscles Are Not Growing

In this article I will reveal to you the top 5 reasons why your muscles stopped growing and how to get your muscles growing again! Let's get started.

1. Many times the fact that you are pushing yourself real really hard is what stops you from making any muscle gains. Muscles actually do not grow when you're working out -- they grow when they are resting. Never ever train the same muscle group more than once per week and make sure you get eight hours or more of sleep every night.

2. One of the unknown "blocks" to muscle growth is working out for too long a period of time. After 45 minutes to an hour of intense training course levels will increase. I am talking about resistance training not cardio -- let's get that right. After approximately 45 minutes of training your body will release Cortisol. Cortisol is a known agent that destroys muscle cells.

3. As mentioned earlier sleep is very critical to your bodybuilding success. Make sure you do not skip on this vital component.

4. Consuming too much alcohol is another big culprit in stopping your muscles from growing. An occasional beer is okay however, no alcohol binging if you want to gain muscle mass and strength.

5. This one in my opinion is the biggest problem that most people have. Your diet! No matter how you do it you need to consume enough high quality protein. Protein is what your muscles use to repair themselves. If you're training heavy-- you should consume 1 g of protein for each pound of your body weight minimum. 1 1/2 to 2 g of protein is preferred. Many fitness models and bodybuilders use whey protein supplements to get enough protein in their diet.

While bodybuilding supplements are not a substitute for eating high protein healthy foods they are however a quick and easy way to guarantee that you meet your nutritional requirements.

An investment in a good blender and a quality whey protein powder will get you the muscle growth you're looking for.

There are other reasons why your "muscles are not growing" however, these top five tips are in my opinion the most important ones. Apply them and you will find your muscles responding again.


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Weight Training Diet For Skinny Guys To Pack On Muscle Mass Quickly

If you're a skinny guy who wants to gain muscle mass quickly then this weight training diet is the missing key you need to start growing fast. I'm going to give you the absolute best food you need to include in your weight training diet.

Your weight training diet can be broken up into 3 categories of food: Protein, carbs, and fat. You the right amount of each of these in order to build muscle mass. Especially if you're a skinny guy - you need to pay special attention to your diet if you want to grow.

Best Carbohydrates To Include In Your Diet


Potatoes
Fruit
Beans
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Whole Grain Breads



Best Protein Sources To Include In Your Diet


Chicken and turkey
Steak and ground beef
Eggs
Fish/Seafood
Cottage Cheese
Whey Protein



Best Fat Sources To Include In Your Diet


Flax Seed Oil
Olive Oil
Avocados
Nuts
Fish like salmon and tuna
Fish Oil



So how much of these foods should you be eating to start building muscle mass? Well, I recommend my personal training clients split it up into 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat. This is the best ratio for gaining muscle weight quickly especially if you're a skinny guy.

Your weight training diet should also include the right number of calories for your bodyweight. If you're a hardgainer and have trouble putting on muscle mass, I recommend you take 20x your bodyweight in calories daily. So take your body weight x 20 and that's how many calories you should include in your diet on a daily basis. It's pretty simple.


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Anabolic Food: Top Ten Muscle Builders

Sure, gaining that first 10 pounds of muscle comes easy for most, even with a so-so diet. When you want to go above and beyond though, new and intensive measures must be introduced. This requires a bull-headed commitment to a large volume food intake. Eat protein first each an every meal. We are talking 5 to 6 meals per day. On average, most will need to eat about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you are obese, this guideline does not apply. Each meal will contain anywhere between 40 - 70 grams of protein. Don't count protein grams from 'indirect' sources, like oatmeal or whole grain bread. Only count protein grams from primary protein sources (chicken, steak, eggs, etc.).

Anybody aspiring to build muscle should be eating these foods on a regular, if not daily basis;

1) Whole Eggs... An egg yolk is a terrible thing to waste.

2) Cottage Cheese... I like fat free, usually three cups per day.

3) Tuna... Canned mixed with olive oil mayo, mustard, or mixed with cottage cheese goes down easy.

4) Whey Protein Powder... I use this multiple times per day, a must if you are serious about building muscle.

5) Lean Cuts of Steak... Ok, red meat in general. Quite simply, it makes you big and strong. Many top bodybuilders have eaten lean cuts of steak as part of their breakfast for decades.

6) Chicken Breast... A classic. Eat anytime.

7) Dark Meat Chicken... Don't forget the rest of the yardbird. Not uncommon for a growing bodybuilder to eat half of a roasted chicken in one sitting, at a minimum.

8) Turkey Breast... Another classic, dark meat is also good.

9) Canned Sardines... natural source of creatine. Great source of fatty acids and protein.

10) Lean Cuts Deli Lunch Meat... easy and fast way to gulp down some protein. Use in addition to a meal or along with a protein shake as a 'snack'.

Count your protein gram intake. Please do not make a classic mistake. I hear guys complain all the time about not being able to pack on muscle. When I start to evaluate their diet... it is quickly realized that most often they are not eating nearly enough protein. You cannot simply make it a point to eat protein, and assume that you are actually eating enough of it.

Pay attention to portion sizes and labels until you know for a fact you are eating enough. I am a big advocate of using a food scale. Measuring your food portions will train your eye to to be able to recognize 40 grams of protein in a food serving versus a 20 gram protein serving size. You will not have to do it for very long, but it will give you an education and a 'food realization' that you will use daily.

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Top Fat Burning Foods You MUST Eat

Most people know that eating too much makes them fat. What many don't know is that eating certain food can also help with fat loss. Of course, they must be eaten in moderation. When eaten properly, these wonder foods will add that extra kick to your weight loss plan.

Protein requires more energy to digest than carbs or fats. That means if you eat a slice of beef that's about 200 calories, hypothetically you might burn 40 calories digesting it. Whereas, eating an ice-cream will require very few calories to digest it.

That means you should be getting quite a bit of your daily calories from protein foods. Meats and legumes are awesome sources of protein. The protein will also help you gain muscle if you are on a weight training program. Aim for about 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight.

The protein will build more muscle. When you have more muscle, you end up burning more fat. This is a good cycle to be in. That is why you may notice that people who are muscular and fit get away with eating more. Their muscles are burning more calories round the clock.

Good sources of protein are skinless chicken, lean beef, tuna, sardines, chickpeas, eggs and salmon. The fish contain Omega-3 fatty acids. That makes them even more beneficial to the body.

The chemical properties in certain foods trigger off certain processes in the body that cause fat loss. So, eating these foods will make your body wake up and burn more fat.

Green tea is one of them. Do not use sugar. It may not taste great but it works. Chillies, lemons, oranges, mangoes, garlic, ginger and onions are all food that contain many powerful antioxidants and nutrients that strengthen your immune system. When you are strong, your workouts will be better and you will burn more fat.

One common problem most people face when they first embark on a weight loss program is that they constantly feel hungry. Food is always on their mind and it takes a toll on their willpower.

One way to prevent this is to consume foods that are high in fiber and digest slowly. You will feel fuller for a longer period of time. Foods that are high in fiber are quickly digests and pass through the digestive track sooner. That means fewer calories are absorbed resulting in less tendency to gain weight.

Consume foods like oatmeal, oats, brown rice, whole grain bread and broccoli. Broccoli is so good for your body that you should make it a staple in your diet.

Last but not least, as beneficial as these foods are, they will only help you lose weight if you're on a caloric deficit and have a proper exercise regimen. The 2 key components to any fat loss is a caloric deficit while on a balanced diet and a good exercise program. Everything else is just gravy. The little things that will give your weight loss efforts the extra boost to speed things up a little. We all want fast results. These little tips will allow us to get there just that bit faster. It doesn't get any better


Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, an online network of websites devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The sites encompass a wide variety of health and fitness activities including general health matters, pilates, yoga, crossfit, treadmill training, running, kettlebell, swimming, and more. Also covered are Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Positive Thinking, the Law of Attraction and related topics. Those interested can visit the HF & S Club home site at http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com and the Health, Fitness & Sport Club's online sports and [http://www.healthmattersx.com]

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3 Fat-Burning Metabolism Boosting Wonder Foods

It might seem surprising but there are foods that help quicken your metabolic rate. People who have tried dieting and failed should instead try consuming these fat burning foods. Diets are exhausting, they make your irritable and disinterested with life. Most people give up after a few weeks or months of trying to staying off rich and high calorie food. Often dieters end up with rapid weight gain when they stop dieting.

Foods that burn fat are like gold. They make the process of losing weight more enjoyable and fun. Watch the fat melt off your tummy and hips. The weight loss is also long-term. It is not surprising that people even doubt the presence of such foods. They think it is also some marketing gimmick.

There are certain foods that give your metabolism a boost. They trigger the release of hormones which tend to burn off fat. Now don't think that just because you know these fat burning foods you can eat anything and expect to lose weight. No, they are part of an overall healthy diet which helps you to become healthy person overall while losing weight. There is whole program that teaches first timers how to use these foods intelligently to lose weight and keep it off.

Let's check out the foods that aid in burning fat

Broccoli - It is wonder food containing Sulforaphane. This nutrient present in broccoli which is very similar to the natural enzyme present in the body that instructs fat to burn. So consuming more broccoli in your daily diet helps in burning off the excess fat around your belly area. Broccoli is tasty consumed as a salad or as a side dish with any meat dish.

Avocados - Every body loves this wonder food. Rich in fat it was long considered fattening and shunned by those who dieted. The opposite is true. It actually helps cells to burn off fat. It boosts cell metabolism as the anti-oxidants present in avocado actually inhibit cell damage. Mexicans in the South had the right idea when they included Avocado in their daily diet. It's delicious in guacamole or in smoothie. It works well as bread spread too. It's great in dips and sauces too.

Almonds - Almonds have long been considered as food which boosts brain power, memory and overall health. For generations folks ate almonds to keep themselves healthy. Almonds can be eaten with skin. It helps build muscle and reduces craving for fat. It boosts cell metabolism too.


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Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

This article series is going to empower you to eat yourself lean! You read that right. There are actually foods that jumpstart metabolism, clear your body of fat-storing toxins and that trigger hormones that release fat. This is the second of an 8 article series focusing on what foods you can eat to optimize essential hormones that help burn body fat.

Some hormones are classified as adipokine. Adipokines are cell-signaling proteins secreted by adipose (fat) tissue. Cell signalling is vital to the communication process that is responsible for coordinating and governing cellular activities, including fat metabolization. When cell signalling breaks down misinformation between cells occurs and leads to the development of diseases like: obesity, cancer, autoimmunity and diabetes.

Adiponectin is a fat-releasing hormone that is classified as an adipokine. It modulates glucose regulation and fatty acid oxidation. Glucose is a very important energy source in the body, but when there's too much it is stored as fat. Fatty acids are molecules found in fat cell membranes. They are another important source of energy for the body and as free fatty acids are released from fat cells, the fat cells shrink and the body becomes leaner.

So we can see how the hormone, adiponectin, plays a big role in how much fat is stored by the body. Adiponectin does 2 huge things to boost metabolism and help you burn stubborn fat:


It improves the ability of muscles to use glucose for energy so that it won't be stored as fat.
It increases the rate at which the body breaks down fat.



And as a bonus, adiponectin also helps curb appetite so that you can avoid excess snacking and overeating.

So right about now you are probably wondering how you can optimize adiponectin levels in your body so that you can burn fat fast. The first thing you need to do is get moving, because the leaner your body gets, the more adiponectin is utilized in the body. Second, replace some of your daily carbohydrate intake with healthy monounsaturated fats.

Our three featured fat burning foods are great sources of monounsaturated fats that will help adiponectin do it's job in the body:


Avocados: Avocados are so easy to eat and pack a powerful nutrient punch. Slice one up and eat it on a piece of toast for breakfast or make a quick guacamole as a snack by mashing one avocado with a little lime juice and garlic salt.
Olives: Pile them onto your pizza, include them in your next salad or use olive oil instead of vegetable oil when cooking.
Nuts like almonds, pecans and cashews: It's as easy as grabbing a handful of nuts to munch on or make a good ol' fashioned PB&J with your favorite natural nut butter.




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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Evin_Himmighoefer/1060899

The Best Fat Burning Foods That Can Help You Eat Healthy and Look Great!

We all have a little extra fat that we'd like to lose. But why turn to unhealthy weight loss products or metabolism-busting starvation diets to ditch it? You can easily shed unwanted pounds by using healthy, natural food found right at your local grocery store or farmer's market. Check out this list of great foods that are not only nutritious, but help you get rid of fat the natural way.

The Best Fat Burning Foods That Can Help You Eat Healthy and Look Great

Avocados

The healthy, mono-saturated fat found in these green fruits help to plump up cell membranes and stimulate the production of hormones that burn fat. Eating an avocado will switch off the fat storage hormones in the body and boost the metabolism, helping you fight bad fats with good fats.

Eggs

Eggs have an abundance of nine essential amino acids that help your body build its lean muscle tissue. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, including eggs in your diet can help you get rid of extra pounds you don't want and replace them with muscle you do. Chop up an egg and put it on a salad, or just scramble and eat plain with some cayenne on top for extra fat burning potential.

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are not only high in essential minerals but actively help your metabolism by converting thyroid hormones to active form and bind to toxins. This prevents the toxins being stored in fat cells and adding to the fat you already have. Eat a small handful as a snack as these can be high in calories.

Honey

Honey is actually great for burning fat and is included in many home-made weight loss drinks for this purpose. That's because honey uses extra fat deposits in your body to generate energy. Thus, eating a tablespoon of honey a day can not only help you lose weight, but actively reduce the overall fat in your body by burning it up.

Apples

Apples are full of pectin, which helps you feel full longer. But pectin also cuts down on fat absorption in cells, ensuring that the fat that you eat doesn't immediately get stored but instead slips through unnoticed. An apple a day keeps the fat away!

Chili Peppers

Chili peppers are a powerhouse when it comes to burning fat thanks to their high levels of capsaicin. New studies show that the capsaicin in chili peppers may turn white fat into brown fat. The significance of this is that white fat is fat storage and brown fat cells are thermogenic, burning stored fat. One more reason to make your meals spicy with these dynamic peppers!

Burn fat the way Mother Nature intended you to by eating these incredible, fat burning foods! Put these items on your grocery list and eat your way to a better figure and healthier life.


Author Deborah White is on her own journey to health and wellness. Remember that you are the only one you have. You deserve the best; always strive to make yourself better and healthier! We at Only the Essentials can help you do that. Get all the information you need about How To Eat Healthy at Only the Essentials. Also check out our FREE report "Better Health And Anti-Aging Through Supplements & Super Foods" for a healthy grocery list!

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